tiger

noun

ti·​ger ˈtī-gər 

plural tigers

1

plural also tiger

a

: a large Asian carnivorous mammal (Panthera tigris) of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with black

b

: any of several large wildcats (such as the jaguar or cougar)

c

: a domestic cat with striped pattern

d

Australia : tasmanian tiger

2

a

: a fierce, daring, or aggressive person or quality

aroused the tiger in him

a tiger for work

b

: someone or something (such as a situation) that is formidable or impossible to control

how the tiger of inflation can be tamed

—J. A. Davenport

—often used in the phrases ride a tiger and have a tiger by the tail

3

British : a groom in livery

tigerish

ˈtī-g(ə-)rish 

adjective

tigerishly adverb

tigerishness noun

tigerlike

ˈtī-gər-ˌlīk 

adjective

Illustration of tiger

• tiger 1a

Synonyms

• barracuda
• fire-breather
• fire-eater
• pit bull

Examples of tiger in a Sentence

He was a tiger on the basketball court.

even the best defense can't keep that tiger from scoring

Recent Examples on the Web

Driving the news: The tech giant is currently navigating an antitrust lawsuit regarding its search browser, and there's a tiger team dedicated to managing those communications. —Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024

A lot of people have drawn some parallels between the tiger character falling ill and the AIDS crisis. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 9 Dec. 2024

For the new pieces, panther spots and tiger stripes are created in black lacquer against yellow gold or rose gold bands, and a snake scale motif is realized on the white gold band. —Roberta Naas, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Adding to the boutique hotel vibe, there’s a larger-than-life, 30-foot-long bar—the Maranello Bar—with a counter crafted of tiger skin onyx and seating for more than sixteen. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tigre, from Old English tiger & Anglo-French tigre, both from Latin tigris, from Greek, probably of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan tighra- pointed; akin to Greek stizein to tattoo — more at stick

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tiger

• Amur tiger
• Asian tiger mosquito
• Bengal tiger
• blind tiger
• false saber-toothed tiger
• paper tiger
• saber-toothed tiger
• saber-tooth tiger
• Siberian tiger
• Tasmanian tiger
• tiger beetle
• tiger cat
• tiger lily
• tiger maple
• tiger mosquito
• tiger moth
• tiger salamander
• tiger's-eye
• tiger shark
• tiger shrimp
• tiger swallowtail

Kids Definition

tiger

noun

ti·​ger ˈtī-gər 

plural tigers also tiger

1

: a large Asian flesh-eating mammal of the same family as the domestic cat with a coat that is typically light brown to orange with mostly vertical black stripes

2

: any of several large wildcats (as the jaguar or cougar)

3

: a domestic cat with a striped coat